Yelvington is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the U.S. state of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, located approximately 12 miles east of

Owensboro Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

along U.S. Route 60 east and near the Daviess-

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...

county line.

Demographics

History

The original boundaries of Yelvington were set by the Daviess County Court in 1867. Yelvington was settled in the early 19th century when it was in the northern portion of Ohio County, KY, by Valentine Husk and James Smeathers, brother of famed pioneer

William Smeathers William "Bill" Smeathers ( 1767 – August 13, 1837), also known as Smithers or Smothers, was a pioneer settler of Kentucky and later Texas. Not much is known about his early days. He is believed to have been born in either Pennsylvania, Virginia ...

who first settled Yellow Banks, Kentucky; now

. It was also an early crossroad for the

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. Founded in 1732 by French fur ...

to Hartford, Kentucky Indian trail and the Yellow Banks trail. This route gave what was to become Daviess county's third primitive overland route of travel. Yelvington was a prosperous community with a funeral home, hotel, various stores and other forms of commerce including a distillery owned by C.L. Appelgate and Company which was built between 1879 and 1880 on the west side of the community as well as another whiskey distillery owned by a lawyer, Camden Riley Jr. A raging fire burned through the community in the late 19th century which destroyed most of the business. Most of the business rebuilt a few miles to the east along the railroad at the Powers Station, today known as

Maceo, Kentucky Maceo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 413. The community was founded by freed slaves just after the U.S. Civil War. In ...

situated along U.S. Route 60 about 10 miles east of Owensboro, Kentucky. Yelvington was also home of United States Senator Thomas C. McCreery who was born there December 12, 1816. He was elected to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Senator James Guthrie of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

in 1868 and remained in office until March 3, 1879 when he returned to Daviess County to live in

, KY. McCreery died July 10, 1890. Yelvington is home to the Yelvington Baptist Church organized on June 30, 1813 about two-mile west of its present location. When organized the church adopted its original name as "Panther Creek Church of Ohio County, near Yellow Banks, Kentucky." This name was adopted because what is now known as Yelvington was in Ohio County at that time. In 1817 the name was changed to "Rock Spring", and in 1854 the name was changed to "Yelvington

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

Church" and as remained so ever since. It is the oldest Baptist church in Daviess County, KY.Hugh O. Potter's History of

and Daviess County, Kentucky,pp. 51 Herff Jones-Paragon Publishing,

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

and

Louisville, KY Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, 1974

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Daviess County, Kentucky Unincorporated communities in Kentucky Populated places established in 1867